Tag Archives: Alchemical Vessels 2015

Fun evening last Friday at the Joan Hisaoka Gallery in Washington, DC. My donated artwork, white and gray on a red background on the inside and black on the outside shares the gallery walls with another 124 artist’s vessels. It’s amazing how each piece differentiates itself from the others. We all began with a white ceramic bowl, and the end results celebrates the uniqueness and difference of individuals. I ran into several artist friends at the opening reception, including David Alfuth, with his trademark silver hair above next to me.

Stop by and see the show: 1632 U St NW, Washington, DC. Benefit event slated for Friday, May 1st 7-9 pm for ticket holders. Artists’ closing reception is Friday May 22, 7-9 pm. Please join me for the closing of this beautiful and special exhibit.

Honored to have been invited to participate in this super curated exhibit. Transformation of the raw bowl into a healing vessel had its roots in the loss of my lovely mother several months ago. That event sparked a new group of figurative paintings featuring strong, confident women with ever bigger and more extravagant hair, wig or headgear. Each painting became more outrageous, symbolizing fearlessness, freedom to go out of bounds, and permission to be exceptional. For the bowl, I used its curvature to take the idea even further, with the headpiece so large it circles the vessel, enfolding the figure in a protective embrace.

Can you tell I was a bit out of my comfort zone, painting small and circular!? Normally I stand, use large brushes, and fling paint energetically. Happily, I think the results with the bowl are as outrageous and fearless as the work on flat canvas.

The Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery at Smith Center for Healing and the Arts, 1632 U St NW, Washington, DC, is happy to announce the return of the Alchemical Vessels Exhibition and Benefit in 2015! This year’s exhibition will run from March 27 – May 22, 2015, with the special by-contribution-only Benefit on Friday, May 1st, where everyone who makes a $150 Benefit-Vessel contribution (beginning Tuesday, March 10th at 10am) can select one of the works in the exhibition to add to their collection! The vessels are selected in the order contributions were made, so the earlier you make a contribution, the earlier you can select your work of art!

This year’s exhibition and benefit features works from over 100 new artists hand-selected by 20 prominent curators. See below for a list of this year’s incredible line-up of artists & our invited curators, and visit www.smithcenter.org/benefit to learn more and make your contribution beginning 10am on Tuesday, March 10th!